The Americans with Disabilities Act: I. History, summary, and key components.

This report presents (1) a brief history and summary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and (2) an extensive section of definitions and explanations of key components--such as disability, qualified individual with a disability, reasonable accommodation, and undue hardship--and their relevance to medical schools. While these definitions are numerous and somewhat technical, an understanding of them is essential for medical school faculty, staff, and administrators to assess the Act's impact on and implications for their institutions and to assure adequate and appropriate compliance. Gaining such understanding is important, for although some authorities believe that the Act will have minimal impact on most colleges and universities, the author maintains that experience at her medical school does not support this view. A companion article, published in this issue of Academic Medicine, focuses on the implications of the Act for colleges of medicine and offers suggestions for compliance.